Do it yourself

Kombucha is an increasingly popular fermented tea drink which is touted for its supposed health benefits, tastes a bit like fruity beer, and will set you back between three and four dollars a bottle. Fortunately, you can make it yourself for a fraction of the cost. The process seems a bit gross at first, but there’s something empowering in being able to make something yourself and save money. Besides, handling something as disgusting as a SCOBY (see below) appeals to the eight-year-old that lives in all of us.

All you need are some clean glass jars (old pickle jars work well), some glass bottles (buy some kombucha, drink it, save the bottles), green or black tea (not Earl Grey), and sugar.

You also need a SCOBY – a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. SCOBYs –  which sort of look like pancakes – tend to double in size every brewing cycle, so you might want to check Craigslist to try to find one. Failing that, you can buy commercial kombucha, leave a bit of liquid (about a fifth) at the bottom after drinking it, and leave it in a warm dark place for a couple of weeks, then use that as a starter.

Here’s the procedure:

1. Boil about three liters of water for five minutes.

2. Steep five bags of green or black tea. Experiment to find what kinds work best for you. I particularly like using blueberry green tea from Trader Joe’s.

3. Remove the water from the heat.

4. Stir in a cup of sugar.

5. Let it sit until the water is room temperature.

6. Put your SCOBY in one of your clean glass jars and pour the tea mixture over it.

7. Cover with a towel and secure with a rubber band.

Leave the kombucha to sit and ferment in a dark place for ten to thirteen days. After that, pour off about three-quarters of the liquid – you can remove the SCOBY and put it in a glass or ceramic bowl if you want – into glass bottles, close, and let sit at room temperature for about three days. Put the remaining liquid back into the jar with your SCOBY and start again. Serve cold.